Observations of the illusion through the eyes of wonder…

Search for:

Me, In Pieces…

See that tiny reflection…in that miniscule drop of water….a part of the condensation on a huge mirror that reflects my entire image most days? This image just jumped at me as I was perusing shots to use in this, my own page, where I hope to be able to share some things about me. I hope these things will resonate, inspire or even entertain some of you a bit. At the very least you will know a little more about me after you have finished your visit.

I chose the above shot because it seems to epitomize my frame of reference for myself most of the time-a small reflection in the endless pool of existence, nearly undetectable and all too often unheard and unseen. But, like this tiny drop, all it takes is someone to notice its beauty, its value and its dedication to being a part of the whole, to make it real. If only Love is real, then I love this water drop.

I am an artist as well as a writer. Any means of self expression is pure gold for a crab like me. Yep, I am a Cancer, through and through. Ethereal, obstinate, hopeful, romantic, dependable, loyal, and steadfast. And I loathe change. So what else could I do but fall in love with a Virgo? My husband is a wanderer, dreamer and seeker of adventure and change. Hence my subsequent life in Costa Rica, far from my “home” of Louisiana; but I am happy to report I neither died nor suffered from the glorious experience there. I plan to get back to it as soon as life permits. Suffice it to say that often we would make a better salad dressing than a couple. But that’s not really true either. You see, I have discovered in my search for truths, that we are in error if we believe that we will find a “perfect match” in a mate; for that implies that we all have the same idea of what we want, what we see in the world and ourselves, and what we perceive as true love. I would love to hear any other thoughts on the idea of love, romance and “happily ever after” if anyone would like to share!

BTW, I love to cook. More importantly, to bake. The very word makes me want to whip out flour, sugar, butter and spices, bringing heavenly smells into the house and huge smiles to the faces of all the people I love. I designed cakes for awhile which was great fun; but with a history of writing in charts, needlework projects, etc., I developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and had to give something up. No, not art.

Oh, but I still bake. I recently made these Fresh Cherry Scones. I love cherry season! They cost a fortune down here but I splurge so we can have treats like this-that is, if I can get some before my husband gobbles them up. He loves fresh fruit. This is one reason Costa Rica was so heavenly. Fresh fruit literally for the picking there. I found some yummy ways to use Carambola, or Star Fruit, which so many people just leave to waste upon the ground. I made some great empanadas that actually were reminiscent of peach pies. Yum! They are very rich in vitamin C too.

I did this piece for a dear friend of mine. Most of my art is unique and I am no good at replication. I have to be inspired, infected and possessed before I produce something that I feel great about.

Of course an afternoon of partying with a case of beer and these guys could inspire a person!

There is so much beauty here in my home state of Louisiana; and visiting Plantation homes has always been a secret thrill for me. Our favorite has always been the Oakley house in St. Francisville; but when my sons came to visit two years ago, we took a look at a few others. This one was marvelous. The Houmas House in Ascension Parish has lovely grounds, was used in the filming of Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, and has marvelous food at the restaurant. We enjoyed lunch while there-some of the best seafood I have had in recent years.

And my newest passion-jewelry design. I have been toying with this craft for a few years, selling pieces among friends and family, but have decided to branch out. I am hoping to have a page set up for viewing and purchasing online very soon. These necklaces were made with seashells from Costa Rica-a lot of happy memories are in them!

The one on the left is my husband’s favorite piece-it came from my heart. It was done with all natural papers. The only paint is on the faces, hands and the background. I hope to someday visit the Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City for this particular Virgin has spoken to my soul and made a huge impact on my view of my life. The s one on the right I call Tree of Life.

So, I’ll say goodbye for now. This was a great vantage point for viewing the ocean. If only we could sail through life in such a glorious way! If you haven’t considered photography before, I recommend it highly. You will begin to see things you never even noticed before, and if you already take photos, I look forward to seeing them. Drop in and leave me your blog or site info so I can visit. Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Be ‘the grandest version of the greatest vision you ever had for yourselves’! (from Conversations with God-love you Neal Donald Walsch!)

Pura Vida,

Cheryl

Advertisements

Share this:

Like this:

45 thoughts on “Me, In Pieces…”

You live in Lousianna? Now I’m seriously confused cause here I thought you lived where Dan does, Oh my goodness. You mean his Saturday posts about the bar are all fiction? Well I’ll be!! As for this write up …. fantastic is all I have to say. You are so talented. I’m not able to paint or draw (pout) but I wish I could. My hand sometimes just longs to be set free to create. I do other things …. gardening for one …. and my sole purpose or focus right now is my camera and writing. You amaze me totally!!! ❤

Well Amy, I am from Louisiana but we have moved back and forth, as I mentioned, even out of country. No, I don’t live anywhere near Dan cuz this Southern gal cannot take the cold. When we came back fro Costa Rica it was determined we needed tropical climate still. I think gardening is very creative and takes such dedication. Hubby is great at it and I love my roses. I have developed a couple of nice vegetable agrdens as well but working full time makes it much more difficult.

And the confusion roared when I stopped to think “Tropical Affair” … what IS she referring to IF you live where Dan does. Then Lousianna aha makes sense. Me and winters? Not good but right now I must live where I am. I plan to live in warmer climates when I can. For now though I have to tough it and make myself enjoy winter. There’s a lot to gardening …. muscle wise. I understand about the time limitations totally. Oh for that clock! 💕

It is a great pec workout to pull weeds. If it will stop raining long enough I will try to get out and pull some of ours. Yes, I started this blog as a way to share our photos and adventures in Costa Rica with family and friends back home and it grew from there.

☺️Thanks. Yep, me the mermaid. Lol. I do love the ocean more than anything. Sadly, he didn’t although I hung around long enough waiting…just not meant to be. I got aome good poetry out of that era though. 😉

Oh my! Hello! I am so happy to hear from you. I have missed you. Who are you kidding? You saved my life once upon a time in that “back woods” country life. I can still see your face when Matthew dumped that whole icee in his lap! Lol I hope everyone is well. Call me sometime. I would love to catch up! I love you! Hugs!

This is a very nice posting Cheryl and it is lovely to see you… I have
forwarded you an invite to my Private Space, it is a friendly one so I
hope that you will accept. Have a wonderful rest of day and enjoy a
relaxing Monday 🙂

I especially like the drop of water on the mirror and I share your opinion. I have long believed that we are all like that droplet, no matter how long we are around, or how well-known we may or may not become. The only real difference between us is the number of pairs of eyes that see us during our visit.

Thank you Tom. One of the toughest things for me is deciding if I truly wish to be “seen” or remain comfortably “invisible”, a greater dilemma than most would understand. While everyone would love to be recognized, appreciated and validated, there is a comfort in anonymity as well. Thank you so much for coming by and leaving a message. I really apprecaite it.

Hi Cheryl,
Meant to tell you as soon as I’d hit the ‘Follow’ button … I had another ID a while back; raccoonian. Guess I felt «blogged out» or something as I took it down, but found I really missed this stuff. Resuscitated an old account I had, and started over 😀

Wow, Cheryl. You do it all (and you do it all very well, too!). Nice to meet you. I am delving back into poetry, and am sure I will be able to get some inspiration from you. Your Tree of Life is amazing.

Thank you very much Karen and I am happy you came by. I hope you find something that inspires you. I look forward to reading more of your words as well. 🙂 Poetry is a very good means of release for me. Maybe it will be so for you as well.

Hi Cheryl!
“Me, in Pieces …”? — I’d say: “You, in Whole” as these beautiful pieces all come together and blend into one very talented and compassionate woman. I’m now following this blog and look very much forward to future photos, craft and words. What a nice addition to my day! Thanks.
Lily

Hi Lily,
Thank you so much for following my blog and for your very kind-and encouraging-words. It will be nice to have you here. I hope to add some pottery to the mix since that is my new delight. It is so therapeutic for me to immerse myself in the creation process. And fun too! I will be visiting your blog again soon. Happy Weekend!

Hi, and thank you for visiting and for the likes. I am actually in the final steps of getting my jewelry set to go up; but I may do a preview page here. I am really into simplicity, preferring natural stone and unusual glass beads. The ones in the bracelet are not glass, although I a, not certain what they are. I chose them to accent the seashells. All my shells were collected by my husband and myself while in Costa Rica. I am hoping to share a bit of the peace of that country with the wearers. Thanks again!

I will be right over to help you eat the cherry scones.
OMG, they look wonderful.
They remind me of some from long ago at the Tuck Box in Carmel, California, with orange marmalade on them.
Yikes they were great~

They were good! You know, Im really a “California girl” myself. I was born in San Diego but my Dad left the Navy shortly after to come back to Louisiana. I have only been to visit San Francisco but fell madly in love with it. I think that is why I loved Florida so much. I made Blueberry scones this morning! We love them. I also love a bit of honey butter on mine sometimes.

Follow This Blog

Observations in the Illusion

Hi,
Cheryl here. I can hardly believe how quickly the years have added up since I first began blogging, with life events that saw me migrate from the US to Paradise and back-twice! I would not give anything for the rich experiences we had in Costa Rica and I miss it every day. We will visit every chance we get; however, life is rarely a straight and wide path and for this portion of it we are back living in the states. I am fortunate to be living in a place rich with wildlife, beauty and wonderful inspiration. If you hang around I promise I will keep sharing with you and hope you find something to enjoy in what my camera and I manage to capture. My deepest desire is to find and show the common vein that connects us all. We live as one, breathe as one, were created as one. If we could just combine all our brilliant thoughts into one fine idea, what a wonderful world we would have. Love and Light. My tropicalaffair site is full and so I have moved. You can still read about our adventures here or hop over to my new place at https://dreamingreality646941880.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/first-blog-post/ I hope to see you there!

Goodreads

Blog Stats

New Releases and Author information

The Turtle's Shell (Mama's Tales of Kanji)
by Vincent Eke
A collection of children's stories designed to impart the wisdom of generations to young and old alike.
On Amazon:

http://amzn.to/10wcEYX

Also available on Smashwords, B&;N as well as other ebook retailers. More info on Mr. Eke can be found on Linkedin.

Shaken
by Kerry Connelly, soon to be released
This work chronicles the author's struggle with emotional abuse. You can find out more about the author on Goodreads, Facebook and Linkedin
visit her site at